you know, major corporations and there's the concept of corporate structure and corporate behavior. and it seems like from what i'm reading now in retrospect, in terms of his management style, he broke all the rules. what did it take? and what was it about his management style that led to su such excellence? >> he created an extraordinary thing and not only in apple, but in pixar and disney. walter writes about steve's management style which can be trying. he uses the phrase you're either a genius or a word i will not say on television. he was passionate about what he believed in. he structured the company around himself and his own perfectionism. and i think he lost a lot of people because he had a vision that everybody had to accept. and it was this vision of purity. as he said himself, i love

simplicity. and he kept on making things simpler and simpler and cleaner and cleaner and purer and purer. and you had to sign sign on to that. even the building and the interiors reflect everything that he did. i remember he came to our offices to show us the ipad a couple weeks before it was out. and i just had mentioned in passing, i'd been to the new apple store on the upper midwest near where i live. he went in -- said the marble from that store is from perugia and it's from the northwest corner of the quarry because it's a little bit lighter and stronger and i went there and felt it myself. the level of detail is just extraordinary. and that's on the marble for the store. he spent that amount of detail on the battery for the ipad. >> great lesson for business leaders. we've talked a lot about how revolutionary he didn't use research, he used his gut.

and why that makes sense, if you were going to do research today for consumers to tell you what the next phone should look like, they'll play back what's out there already. you can't ask consumers to be visionaries. and that's what business leaders do. and at the end of the day if you ever want something new, you can't research it. >> and he saw himself -- for better for worse, and mostly for better. he saw himself as an artist more than a businessman, more than a creator. he was not an engineer, he never studied engineering, he was want a computer scientist. he was a guy in some cases had this extraordinary esthetic that then created all of these products. >> what's so striking to me about that generation of people who invented this technology and refined it, steve jobs of the world, bill gates of the world, is that they are exceptionally good businessmen for the most part. they ran the largest companies in the world. gates and steve jobs were bitter rivals at one point. and, in fact, gates never

thought that apple would survive. he said, no, it's going to go away. and then he came along and propped it up. and he said today which is very the touching i thought. he's in southeast asia. and he said it was an insanely great honor to know and work with steve jobs. that's a great tribute from someone like bill gates to steve jobs. >> you'll not remember this. i was a young advertising pup, and i was lucky enough to sit next to you on a plane. >> what are you now? >> i don't know what i am. i was looking up and i said to you, who would be most -- who have you been most impressed with in all the people you interviewed? and you said gorbachev and gates. and the reason you said gates, forget about technology. if he was in the hot dog business, he would've cornered the hot dog market. >> the other thing, the category now, the category that jobs is in now is ford and edison.

>> absolutely. >> this is the classic american thing. the old world, there was pure science. science in america was about creating products for people that you could sell. and steve is in that great tradition. just like edison, just like ford. >> and bell. >> and bell. >> joe, you mentioned jack, your 3-year-old son, i have a 4-year-old daughter. and we talked about this a little bit last week, but it dawned on me again this morningr know a world not touched by steve jobs. the reality that he created is what our children will live. i told this story on the air last week. my son who was 2 and completely proficient in the ipad. now gets into the taxi. when that tv comes on, he touches the screen. he's frustrated. why am i not controlling the information. that's the only reality he'll know. >> my 8-year-old daughter, it's interesting how it's not about technology. all she wants is an iphone, of course she's not getting one. to her, that means you've

arrived. she's not getting one for six years. >> there should be one grown up in your family. >> you know, his ultimate gift, you mentioned ford, edison, bell, generational products. steve jobs, 5-year-olds using it, 85-year-olds using it. >> it transcends the lines. >> i want to go back to your 4-year-old and 2-year-old swiping the screen inside the cab. one of my great frustrations and one of the things i groused about as far as american technology was the fact that companies would try to do more. they would always try to promise more than the products they delivered. to be blunt about it, the blackberry tries to jam too much on blackberrys now. the blackberry was a fantastic

device. >> when it was just a blackberry. >> it would do e-mails, texts and calls. >> it's now on a delay. >> the same thing with the pc. they tried to jam too many applications on that they didn't work together. the genius of steve jobs, i think it does. it goes back to -- he's an arti artist. it goes back to the design where you have these devices that 55-year-olds can't work if it's a pc, and then steve jobs comes along and creates something that a 2 and 3-year-old can use when you're not even looking, when you're not even noticing. willie, i guarantee you never sat down and said here's my ipad. here's how it works. one day you're wondering why is the apple on. and it is a kid who can't even walk yet that's figured out this intuitive device.

it's stunning. >> i said earlier, barnicle and i were of the juke box generation. this is my juke box. thanks to steve jobs. i got that around. plug it in. run with it. >> amazing. >> that alone, we pay tribute. >> joe is on to something that is a huge difference between bill gates and steve jobs. he created a completely internal device. you can't plug anything into it. even their operating system, he would never allow it to be on any other computers. that's why it became very small. >> rick stengel stopping the issue of "time" magazine. a special on the life and legacy of steve jobs. coming up next, vern buchanan, robert webbingsler will be live with joe and mika down in pensacola. you're watching "morning joe"

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try smart balance buttery spread. it's heart-healthier than butter. with omega-3s. 64% less saturated fat. and clinically proven to help support healthy cholesterol. ♪ put a little love in your heart ♪ >> all right. welcome back to "morning joe." you're looking live at the fish house in pensacola, florida.

i can't believe the sunrise. it's beautiful. >> absolutely beautiful here. >> beautiful boats. we're fielding e-mails from up and down the east coast. we have to set the record straight. >> we will in a second. >> it's about my alma mater. >> it is 8:00 a.m. on the east coast. 7:00 a.m. in pensacola, florida. beautiful, beautiful place. it's remarkable how much this community's turned around since a year ago when we had the bp oil spill. >> absolutely. >> one of the reasons why we're back. tourism is back. there are a lot of family businesses we talked about a year ago that went away. bp is -- the governor believes the bp is actually starting to be a good partner in reviving this area of the state. we shall see. >> we're talking to business leaders to give us a sense of what's going on. we'll be honoring pensacola state college, great institution. >> pace center for girls.

>> then we go to tuscaloosa tomorrow. >> roll tide, baby. speaking of wealth, an absolute wow. >> this is going to be something. >> let's bring in willie geist. he's a vanderbilt comal alum. we have had all male teams, no co-ed football teams. >> laugh it up, scarborough. >> we got nick saban on. you got to do me a favor, please, please, for the love of god, don't let nick saban know i love him except when he loses, then i trash him for the next five years. i'm scared for good reason. we have mike barnicle, tom brokaw and pat buchanan. i have to comment on a couple things. i think one of the most

insightful lines come from tom brokaw turning to donny deutsch saying there must be at least o one grownup in your house. >> it needs a grownup interior decorator as well. >> it's like andy warhol threw up. >> threw up and decomposed. i've never seen modern art like that. >> the upstairs -- >> we don't want to go there. >> i blocked it out. >> mothers, keep your children away from the upper west side. keep your children away from the upper west side. >> i've had to fume gait. >> we have to bring this up quickly. then we'll launch into it. we had bill bennett on yesterday. but bill bennett was complaining about williams' college. they didn't respect him. they had to screen his speech. we got an e-mail from the

president of williams college. they gave bill bennett an honorary degree. invited him back. basically put a crown on his head. >> they love him. >> it seems, pat buchanan, that bill bennett is harboring a chip on his shoulder. we will take him up to williamstown ourselves. >> good enough. he graduated from the same high school i did, bill bennett. >> wow! >> i notice he's not contributing as much here. he's doing very well. >> is that the high school that douds brothers graduated as well. >> i'm not sure. >> you were making fun, offhanded, making fun of willie's alma mater. i'm going to take the 29 points. what can we bet? i think they're covered. >> i'll make the bet, but i will tell you this. i sure don't want any of your

artwork if i win. we'll figure something zblels we want money. >> joe, joe, is this part of your conservative nature, attacking the arts like this? there are some great artists there. you don't understand it. is this a political kind of platform you're launching? >> i never knew that painted over hustler covers are art. >> i will not act like white trash. >> your elevator pencele five times, i will not act like white trash. we're not talking picasso here. >> the artwork in the bedroom. >> mika, how do you know what the artwork in my bedroom looks like? >> we officially crossed the line to self-indull subsequent. let's go to news. mika, what are we looking at in news. >> let's move on. senate democrats led by majority leader harry reid are seeking a millionaire tax to fund the

president's job bill. this is a break with the white house whose proposal includes a tax hike for families earning more than $250,000. it would raise $445 billion over ten years by imposing a 5% surtax on million dollar earners. it will apply to wealth accrued above that level, including capital gains and inheritances. this makes a lot of sense. >> isn't this a smart political move even if it has no chance to pass through. >> it's smarter than raising taxes on folks making $250,000 a year. as senator schumer said today, that is a mistake. a lot of those folks having a hard time. joe, you're right, it's not going anywhere right now. the republican house isn't going to vote for any taxes. >> mike, if i'm a democrat on the campaign trail, i would love nothing more. chuck schumer has this right from the very beginning. he got it right back in december

when the white house ignored him when he said let's not raise taxes on small businesses and people making $250,000, but let's have a millionaire's tax and drive it until the republican party is forced to reject it or sign on. i mean, to be able to campaign against a millionaire's tax, politically, seems like a smart plan. >> not only a smart plan, but it begs the question, why didn't the president of the united states grab hold of this a year and a half or two years ago. >> thank you. i don't get it. >> and plant the flag and stick with that. they're looking for a message that resonates every day. they've had it in their back pocket and not utilized it. >> right after the election and they got shellacked, a lot of people said take it to a million dollars. we even talked about it on the air. it was a gimme at that point. they frittered away opportunities. they're kind of reinventing

themselves every week. this week, we're going to the million dollar level. >> joe, back when the iraq war started, i wasn't an enthusist of it, i was against it. i put out an idea we ought to have a 5 or 10% surtax on everybody to pay for everything until the war is over. "wall street journal" comes down on you with both feet. you're supposed to pay for those things once you go into them. it would have worked then, i think. >> tom brokaw and pat buchanan, as to why they didn't get to this a year and a half ago, is it a gimmick now because we're in election season, is it a gimmick to put it out there even though it doesn't have potential? to me, it means as if they don't mean it. >> if it's a 5%, that takes a 35% rate, 1.5 to 36.5. >> i do think it's a gimmick. it's not going to solve the problem. it is a straight political proposal here.

this isn't going to raise an awful lot of money when you're talking about the kind of deficits we got at $1.4 trillion. >> pat, it seems to me, at some point, tom, we got a slight delay here, at some point, tom brokaw, republicans, conservatives, free market guys like myself, are going to have to come to terms with the fact that over the past 25 years, the wealthy have become exponentially more wealthy and the poor have become exponentially more poor. the divide between rich and poor has nothing to do with free markets. it has to do with tax policies and business policies that have tilled to the deck of the very, very rich. i don't say this as a pop lift, i'm not a pop lift, i see this as alan greenspan. this presents a mumtle threat to american capitalism if we don't right this wrong.

>> as you were saying that, i was making a tea party member preparing an op-ed piece refuting what you had to say. the fact is, you're absolutely right, joe. just below the surface in that group you just described, almost everyone that i talked to knows that they're going to have to get additional revenue. they're going to have to be part of that process. most of them say we would like to get it packaged with tax reform to change the code so we can make that more sensible for everyone as well. i've yet to find people outside the var narrow confines of the hard left or hard right who had the good fortune to make more money here. >> it would be a privilege to pay more taxes. pat, explain to me as a republican, what is the argument against that? don't tell me class warfare, what politically and economically is the argument against taxing millionaires?

>> take it from 35% to 45%. >> that's not where it's going though. >> no, i'm giving you the argument. you take the state taxes in new york and medicare. then you get 60% tax. it makes more sense to me if i'm one of those guys to save the money i've already earned and earn another dollar. >> this would be an additional 1.5% to. a guy making a million bucks, it's $15,000 a year. how is that -- why is he going to spend less in this economy. >> the economic argument against it is this, if a guy like donny deutsch is making a million bucks a year, who can more spend and wisely invest that money, donny deutsch or harry reid. >> why am i going to stop spending if i have $15,000 less. it holds no water. >> guys like ted turner and tom brokaw and you, republicans will say, if they're making that money, they're going to spend it more wisely than turning it over

to nancy pelosi and harry reid. >> i've just got to say, and i want you guys to throw it around, that is though, the big lie. somehow if we raise taxes from 35 to 40%, that the ted turners and the donny deutschs and warren buffetts are going to pay more in taxes. they are not. they're still going to be paying 17% or 18% per year in taxes. it will be the 250,000, the one million people that don't have the fleet of accountants and attorneys that will be hit with the increase. >> it should be benchmarked as spending cuts. any tax increase has to go for the deficit only. you know, the most unsettling moment for a lot of people in washington in the republican debate was that famous raise hand question, ten to one. >> the "wall street journal" has an editorial today, reagan took the top rate from 70% down to

28%. the rich were paying 18% and 70%. they're paying 28% at the lower rate, the 28%. the reason for that is because the guys making money say don't worry about the taxes, let's make money. the higher that thing goes, the more you get the tax accountants and lawyers, save me the money. if you get the lower ratings and get rid of the deductions and exemptions, that's the big reform. 5, 15, 25. >> i would submit that what you're talking about here, in this little mini debate is -- gets to the ultimate disconnect in this country today. we're talking about the gap between the rich and poor. you're talking about percentages on taxes. what people out there know when they go grocery shopping, when they get the tuition bill, let's go to the movies or new sneakers, corporate profits have risen over the last ten years and the middle class has just sat there stagnant, no pay increases.

>> why? that ain't because the corporations are rich. >> part of the reason why is what you just alluded to a couple minutes ago. the wars in iraq and afghanistan. if all these phony baloneys in washington, instead of wearing their american flag lapel pins, if they voted to pay for these wars, we wouldn't be in as much of a hole as we are today. >> let me ask you this -- >> you're talking about the deficit right now. the bigger problem is, and the problem that tax reform i think would tackle more effectively is the fact that, if jeffrey sacks was on tomorrow, he put out a shocking statistic, real wages for working men have been declining in the united states of america since 1973. >> exactly. >> mike barnicle, the middle class hasn't remained stagnant. the middle class is losing, is in full scale retreat. that's what has to be tackled here. >> you know why it is.

you went into -- 1974 is the exact right year. in the first decade of the 20th century, we lost 6 million manufacturing jobs, one of every three we had. these are the best jobs blue collar working class americans ever had. every time you put down a factory, 4,000 jobs are created, bars, restaurants, theaters. we've exported 55,000 factories in the first decade of the 20th century. who the devil is responsible for that? those are the people killing the middle class. it's both political parties, the republican party, the democratic party. the bush republicans and the obama democrats. >> they took the greatest economy in the world and dropped it into a world pool where you're up against chinese workers making a buck an hour, no regulations, no civil rights laws, no environmental laws, no health and safety laws. why is ge, why is general motors, why are they moving

their factories abroad. it's cheaper to produce there. they're all going to be gone. schumer and those guys, maybe tariffs on china, how in the hell do they think the country was built? >> you know what i see? pesants with pitch forks. >> pay attention. >> that is no joke. we are not far from that. we really aren't. >> pat, you should run. i like that. i like that. >> been there, done that. american people have spoken to that. >> i can drive you into new hampshire again. >> two old guys can go fishing on the weekend. >> sounds like a sitcom. >> this is serious. look at what's happened to the country. >> business is not going to self-correct itself. they are accountable to their shareholders. >> put a 30% tax on all manufactured imports, you'll

raise $600 million and cut all taxes on small businesses in the united states. boom! >> pat buchanan for president. >> talking like a man with a book coming out pretty soon. >> different kind of book. >> tom brokaw, thanks so much. appreciate you being here. >> we have much more ahead live from pensacola. senator marco rubio says no to a vice president nomination. plus vern buchanan of florida. let's go to bill karins with a check on the forecast. >> trying to picture barnicle and pat driving through new hampshire. good morning, everyone. weather-wise it's gorgeous. so many areas around the country. yesterday we dealt with horrible conditions out west. a lot of snow in california. this morning it was cold in new england. the sin un is up. yesterday was good. today is gorgeous. you can't complain when you have

perfect sunshine and 60s. travel trouble spot, more rain in california. gusty winds yesterday. l.a. saw rain, first significant rain in months. today's forecast, rain and damp in the mountains. look at minneapolis, 81. fargo should be up in the mid 80s. that's heading east for the weekend, just in time. you're watching "morning joe." what a beautiful shot from pensacola. great weather for you too. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. ♪ ♪ [ multiple sounds making melodic tune ] ♪ [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, every innovation, every solution, comes together for a single purpose --

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♪ >> i believe so i'm not going to be their vice presidential nominee. i'm focused on my job right now. the answer is probably going to be no. the answer is going to be no. i don't want to leave the door open. >> welcome back to "morning joe." live shot of the capitol. with us from capitol hill, a member of the house ways and means committee, vern buchanan. we have former democratic candidate, robert wexler. my mother who is at the fish house is going to be wondering why i let you come on my show. if history is any guide, your family will be wondering why you came on my show. >> that's very true. >> we have david stafford, and good friend of mine, worked with me in congress. david, fascinating straw poll,

and we said after the iowa straw poll that straw polls don't matter. i think we've been proven right. let's look at the results of the florida straw poll. cain at 37%. perry at 15% and romney 14%. cain moved ahead of perry and tied for first place in cbs. what do florida republicans see in this guy? >> you know, i think it was a big surprise. i think it shows that the straw polls, as much as people say they don't matter, they do short term. you see the impact of the polls in florida but nationally. the one thing that came out of that is the race is still fairly much in flux. you had governor perry get in the race and got the initial bump. he's sort of come back down to earth. you have had certainly herman cain catch fire in florida.

i think it's still unsettled out there, but florida, as you know, will be a big player, not only in the primary -- >> it's even a bigger player in the general election. >> the 2010 census, florida picked up two additional electoral votes. they are tied for the most electoral votes in the country. >> the swing state of florida, florida, florida, that tim russert talked about, important. >> absolutely. >> robert let me go to you. give us your best read about president obama as we move toward the general election, the real question is, how is the president going to do in south florida, in your backyard, in broward county, especially with the jewish voters who actually moved to george bush in 2004 in enough numbers to make a difference in that part of the country? we heard about this disconnect between president obama and jewish voters.

is that real? will that have an impact in 2012? >> president obama, i can confidently say, will do exceedingly well with jewish voters in south florida and throughout the country. the last month, joe, saw extraordinary presidential leadership in terms of our staunch relationship, our staunch alliance with israel. the president saved six israeli lives in the embassy in cairo. he stood up against the world of the united nations in opposition of the unilateral palestinian resolution for state hood. we also learned that president obama reversed in effect the position of the bush administration and is delivering bunker busting bombs to israel in order to thwart the nuclear weapon threat from iran. those are three very significant, very direct, staunchly pro-israel measures that jewish voters and voters that appreciate our relationship with israel will think very

kindly of. >> robert, you may be right. we've seen numbers in israel start to move the president's direction. at one point the president having a 4% approval rating among israeli voters. now it's up to 50%. i think you're right. that may translate in the long run to areas like south florida. vern buchanan, let me bring you in. i asked rick scott, you're doing all the right things to bring jobs to this state, yet the unemployment rate is 10%. approval ratings in the 30s. why is unemployment rate still so high? and if we're still over 10% come 2012, is it going to be a curse on both republicans and democrats at the polls? >> well, joerks it's great to have you in florida. let me say, because i want to comment, because you've covered steve jobs' life. everybody is looking for the key to success. they're getting our economy

going long term competing in the world. i want to add it's all about entrepreneurship. the more we celebrate his life and others like him, he's the job creator, he's going to allow people like that to compete with china and india in the future. the more we can create an environment for small business people and entrepreneurship, that's the key. let me say in terms of jobs, it has been sluggish, but i'm happy. yesterday out of our ways and means committee in florida, happen to be the only member on that, we passed free trade agreements. we have 14 ports in florida. we do $65 billion worth of economic activity out of those ports. i think we can grow that another $10 billion with passing free trade agreements. they'll get voted on next week. even the administration says it will create 250,000 jobs. i'm excited for florida and jobs. especially as it relates to panama and colombia. those are huge in terms of florida's future.

>> david stafford, all politics is local. let's talk about the economy here. a year ago, we were up here a good bit talking about the bp spill, trying to educate americans and our viewers on just how gorgeous our beaches are in northwest florida. they are the whitest in the world. they're still the whitest in the world. yet for a long time, people thought that oil had splashed up on the beaches and we weren't open for business. >> i think part of that difficulty was recognizing that it was a significant event and making sure that the proper parties were held responsible, at the same time letting the public know the beaches and all the local industries were open for business. we do welcome visitors here, as you and i agree, the most beautiful beaches in the world. they've seen great tourism numbers across the emerald coast. >> i understand we're actually setting records now, which is exciting. >> i was talking to our friend jim shirley, the head chef here.

he does business, and they talk about their numbers. you're hearing that across the gulf coast. that's not by accident. that's through a lot of effort, advertising dollars and a lot of hard work done by the locals down here to try to get the word out about how wonderful things are still down here. we certainly welcome visitors from across the country. it's an easy place to get to. it's affordable, great family vacation spot. >> there was an impact from the spill. >> absolutely. >> on tourism. how much of a comeback has it made. how much more ground do you need to regain in terms of the business owners and their losses. >> the business is sustaining this. people looking at the metrics are saying is this a sugar high? is this because of the money that's put into advertising? but i think it's sustaining. once you get people here for the first time, they will come back. so i think that's still being assessed, but certainly in the short term, you know, things are looking good.

again, we still have that lingering impact out there. >> robert wexler, though, of course, florida's economy exploded during the mortgage bubble because you had a lot of people building new homes. you had realtors. we were driven by real estate. for so long. it's still not coming back. how do we turn the corner there? you get a feeling, if housing doesn't turn around in florida, it's all not going to turn around. >> it's a major component. my old friend, congressman buchanan was half right. he's correct that the free trade agreements particularly with central american countries will have an enormously positive impact on florida but what will also have a positive impact is the jobs plan president obama has before the congress. independent economists have said that 1.9 million jobs would be created nationwide if the congress were to enact president obama's plan and that the gdp

would go up a full percentage point. that would have a disproportionately better than average impact in florida. yes, we should pass these free trade agreements, important for the country and particularly for florida, it's also important to have a more broad based jobs plan. tom brokaw talked before if there were to be a millionaire's tax, to put it into drawing down the deficit. that's appealing, but the country needs a significant robust jobs program. >> well, vern buchanan, it must be nice to be called half right. better than being called completely wrong, i guess. you get used to it. >> rob and i are good friends. the best thing we can do. i'm bullish on florida long term. it's one of the best places in america to live. by the way, sarasota got rated the best beaches in the country, including hawaii. at the end of the day, we've got to create a better business

climate for entrepreneurs, risk takers and people building businesses. we need more diversity. the free trade agreement is a big part of that. i'm very bullish on florida long term. >> excellent. >> you know what, vern, to borrow words from robert wexler, you are half right. >> just half right. >> i too am bullish on florida's future, but anybody can tell you, sarasota doesn't have the number one beaches in the world. pensacola does. vern, with that, we're out of time. >> sorry. we can't hear you. >> thank you so much. robert wexler, my whom is here. she's forgiven me for talking to you. i ask that your family forgive you for being on my show. >> i'll forgive you. >> very good. >> david stafford, thank you for doing that. >> thank you for doing this for pensacola state college.

>> we're going to drop by the pace center for girls who do a wonderful job. >> busine"business before the b next. we'll be back in just a moment.

♪ >> welcome back to "morning joe." we get a check on "business before the bell" with simon hobbs. good morning? >> good morning. we have had the weekly jobless figure come out. 401,000. the main story is the passing of steve jobs. it's very rare you get the outpouring of sentiment and people on the stock market. apple has been a roaring success for the investor. if you put $1,000 worth at the beginning it's worth $45,000. what next for the company? the new ceo has had a good reception both internally and externally. he's a good supply chain manager.

people question what will happen now that jobs is gone and you have the genius no longer within the company. he did say in his resignation letter that apple's brieltest days are still ahead of it six weeks ago. his greatest legacy might be the company he leaves behind. i find it interesting that we were talking, willie, earlier in the week about the launch of the iphone. given that jobs determined what the product line is for the next 18 months or two years, i find it interesting they would launch a disappointing model now. i wonder if it was his request, because we knew the news flow today might be as it was. so potentially they could pull rabbits out of the hat further long. people say apple stock now is cheap and we're not expecting it to fall at the opening. >> it's cheap if you can afford $378 a share. >> relative to earnings, it is cheap. >> simon hobbs at the new york stock exchange. we'll go back to pensacola with

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with the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. get started at citisimplicity.com. ♪ >> see these beautiful beaches here in pensacola. it breaks your heart. >> i don't think anyone went into this with nearly the resources that we knew we were going to need. but i'm not too sure anyone anticipated this type of spill. >> you have to be resolute in the situation and resilient. floridians and alabamaens are too. we'll fight back but it's going to be tough. >> welcome back to "morning joe." we are live at the fish house in pensacola, florida. i'll tell you what, that seems like such a long time ago when we were out there with two former governors talking about how the bp oil spill, even though the oil hadn't come on

the beaches, was devastating pensacola's economy. much has changed in a year, year and a half. let's bring in the mayor of pensacola. asheton hayward, along with the chairman of the chamber of commerce. callier asheton. let's start with you. i come home an awful lot. this time, i came home, i was shocked. collier took us out to the stadium on the water. i'm seeing business come back to life. i'm seeing a lot of development downtown. equipme kwint studier is building stuff around. >> we're in a renaissance. we have the pensacola associated with the cincinnati reds. ballpark on the water, largest public-private building. our lifestyle is superior. quality of life is superior. >> collier, you were driving us

around yesterday, but there's a sense of history here, at preserving it, which is lovely to see. >> i love mika, we took her to the historic district. she's been here before. she said joe and i had it nice today. been here many times, never seen it all. went to the oldest church, behind us 200 feet. we talked about the battle of galvez. they defeated the british and occupied here for 40 years until the territory was transferred to florida -- to the united states for the first time. >> with andrew jackson. >> who was the governor here for a number of years in pensacola. tons of history. >> you know what's so stunning to me is the fact that in the past, we haven't promoted history like we should. we're starting to do it. judy bens has been doing it for years. pensacola is the first european settlement in america.

1559, pensacola was here before shakespeare was born. yet, we haven't gotten that message out before asheton. we're starting to do it now. >> it's important with cultural tourism. we have world class beaches. national sea shores. we have everything to offer for businesses to move here, for people to more here. we towed to tell this story. >> whitest beaches in the world. >> in the world. >> as white as ashton's teeth. >> trick from donny deutsch. >> let me tell you something, ironically, it's easier, less work goes into keeping the beaches white than keeping ashton's teaches that white. >> we've got white beaches. >> we've got quality of life. this is a place to move. not only tourists, people are coming here, anybody wants to get a job, i'll throw them in the car with ashton.

>> great quality of life. as the governor said yesterday, boy, i have figured this out since moving up to new york to work. no state income tax. business tax is being cut. you are talking about the best business climate in america, along with the state of texas which also has a great business climate, and people are starting to move jobs here. >> absolutely. you heard rick scott was here last night, love to him in the panhandle as much as we can get him. so much to do here. you got the beaches, the historic district, the naval museum out there, the third largest air and space museum in the world in pensacola. >> so much history ashton. george h.w. bush's airplane. remember him coming here, the plane that got shot down in the pacific, set the naval air museum. there's history here, there's beaches here, great military here. again, it's -- i think we're

turning the corner. this is a great place to live and great place to start a business. >> the great thing is the leaders in the community are stepping up. collier, and a dear friend of mine, jerry pait, we've been traveling the country. >> jerry pait, the great golfer. >> he's going to be in tuscaloosa tomorrow, along with nick saban. >> we're very excited about that. >> he's excited but he's been an ambassador for pensacola. we traveled the country together telling people about pensacola. you're doing a heck of a job. we appreciate it. >> it's a lot of people getting involved. volunteers getting people here. you're going to be on stage next week at the music festival. >> we can't wait for that. it's going to be big. we have 80 bands coming to the beach next weekend. >> john heilemann wants to come

down, because he's big fans of stars, a lot of great. bands coming in. mike barnicle, we're going to get mike barnicle down here as well, mike barnicle is a baseball aficionado. mike, it really is extraordinary. it's beautiful. it's going to be cincinnati's aa team. it opens up to the water. extraordinary, sailboats going out there. we really want to get you down here when the team comes in next year. >> i'll tell you what's amazing. i bet that ballpark will continue to do for pensacola what the ballpark, what the aa ballpark did for portland, maine when the burkes built the ballpark up there for the sea dogs. i bet it does the same thing for pensacola. you couldn't be in a better place because it's so

reminiscent of nantucket as we look at these pictures. >> he's exactly right. >> it really is. >> no doubt about it. can i get a -- i want to get a shot of donny deutsch smiling and i want to get a shot of the mayor of pensacola smiling. >> donny had to go. >> he got jealous. >> we'll focus on ashton's teeth. >> look at him. >> donny deutsch on eighth avenue, looking good. >> we don't want to hear your stories from new york, baby. thank you so much for being with us. ashton, doing a great job. collier, doing a great job as well. >> thank you all for being here. >> all right. more "morning joe" straight ahead. stick around.

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>> quick check of the baseball playoffs. tony la russa and the cardinals trying to fight off elimination. down two games to one against the phillies, the best team in baseball. the players got a surprise guest. watch the squirrel dart in from the left. who is ruled no pitch.

they were distracted and so were the fans when the squishl jumped up and sat among them. the squirrel goes right in front of the batter, a split second before the pitch crosses the plate. maybe good luck for the cardinals. one inning later, david freeze hits a two run home run. cardinals gets a 5-2 lead there. man on second. ryan howard, tieing run at the plate, but he goes down swinging. cardinals win 5-3. they head back to philadelphia for a decisive game five on friday. chris carpenter and the great roy halladay going. the d-backs beat the brewers at home. 10-4 was the score there. those two teams play tomorrow in milwaukee. winner moves on to the nlcs. up next, what if anything did we learn today? the postal service is critical to our economy--

delivering mail, medicine and packages. yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears. a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it.

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♪ >> mike barnicle, what did you learn today? >> i learned pensacola is quite beautiful from the pictures.

>> beautiful place. >> pat, what did you learn? >> willie geist needs more than 20 points to bet on his own team. >> the world will be watching on saturday. vanderbilt visits the tide. our own version of college game day, me, joe and mika. too bad it's not baseball. we'll have nick saban and the great joe namath. we'll see you then. next is "the daily rundown" with chuck.